Kombian’s case – Judge cautions jury

The judge presiding over the Johnson Kombian case, His Lordship Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh on Monday March 31, 2014 threatened to evoke sanctions against any member of the Jury for irresponsible conduct or negligence.

The noble judge gave the threat when one of the Jurors failed to turn up in court at the appointed time when the Johnson Kombian case was called twice for trial.

He warned, “I will not allow this behavior to go on and I will evoke sanctions against any member of the jury for irresponsible conduct.”

When the case finally resumed, the first witness, Detective Corporal Nyarko Edinkra mounted the witness box and was cross examined by State Attorney, Marina Appiah-Opare

Detective Corporal Nyarko Edinkra who has been in active police service for close to 12 years narrated that he was in the Bunkprugu police station on October 17, 2010 when he received distressed calls from three of his colleagues that they were attacked by Johnson Kombian on their return from their duty post.

He said the incident took place at about 5; 45 pm the said day and that the station commander dispatched men including him, (Detective Corporal Nyarko Edinkra) to go and rescue them.

According to him, at the time they got to the scene onto of the Nakpanduri scarves, two of their colleagues, Constable Prince Agyare and Constable Owusu Frimpong were allegedly shot by Johnson Kombian.

Detective Corporal Nyarko Edinkra said Constable Prince Agyare was lying in a pool of blood with his AK47 rifle lying by him.

He revealed that the victims were taken to the hospital where they later died.

He claimed shop owners in Nakpanduri Township locked their stores and fled when Johnson Kombian was spotted in town on a motorbike with AK47 sporadically firing.

Taking over from the State prosecutor, Counsel for Johnson Kombian, Lawyer George Assumaning put it to Detective Corporal Nyarko Edinkra that he misled the court with his testimony.

George Assumaning asked the witness to recall the phone number which his colleagues used and called him when they were allegedly attacked by Johnson Kombian.

The witness failed to reproduce the number and explained that his memory could not serve him right because it had taken some time.

George Assumaning also asked him to identify some of the informants who called the police station and alleged that Johnson Kombian was spotted in town terrorizing innocent civilians

Again, the witness resisted and attributed it to security reasons.

His lordship Justice Mohammed Habib Logoh adjourned the case to April 3, 2014.